Last Victim Of Capsized Boat Off Miami Identified

The families of five men and women who survived a failed smuggling operation last week and had to be plucked from the waters off Miami have asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their release. (Source: CBS4)

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — A fourth Haitian woman who died when a boat carrying 15 people capsized off Miami has been identified.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said Tuesday the woman has been identified as 25-year-old Kerline Mercy.

Three other victims previously were identified as Haitian women in their 30’s: Lodilia Escarment, Carmen Valeris and Woodline Alexis.

The women’s bodies were trapped beneath the boat when it capsized seven miles east of Miami. Eleven Haitian, Bahamian and Jamaican survivors were found clinging to the hull early in the morning of Oct. 17.

Two survivors face life in prison or the death penalty if convicted on charges of smuggling resulting in death. One of those men also faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter.